Military Court in DRC Sentences 26 to Death for Armed Group Involvement

A military court in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has sentenced 26 individuals, including prominent figures from the M23 armed group, to death following a high-profile trial that commenced on July 24. Among those sentenced is Corneille Nangaa, leader of the Alliance Fleuve Congo (AFC), who was found guilty of war crimes, insurrection, and treason. The court issued death sentences in absentia for Nangaa and 20 others who are currently evading capture, while five defendants present at the trial have five days to appeal their sentences. The prosecution had sought death penalties for 25 defendants, with one receiving a 20-year prison term. Nangaa, a former head of the DRC’s electoral commission, established the AFC to unite various armed groups and political factions against the government. Key figures from the M23, including its president Bertrand Bisimwa and military chief Sultani Makenga, were also on trial, highlighting the ongoing conflict in the eastern DRC. In a message to the Associated Press, Nangaa described the trial as a "nauseating judicial saga" that underscores the struggle for democracy in the DRC. The government recently lifted a moratorium on the death penalty, which had been in place since 2003, to address military personnel accused of treason. President Felix Tshisekedi has accused Rwanda of supporting the M23, which has gained significant territory since late 2021, amidst a backdrop of long-standing instability in the region. The DRC has faced over three decades of conflict, with numerous armed groups, including M23, emerging from the chaos that followed the fall of dictator Mobutu Sese Seko in the 1990s. Tshisekedi has also implicated his predecessor, Joseph Kabila, in orchestrating an insurrection, as several members of Kabila's party have aligned with the AFC and await their fate in the military court.